A lovely Sunday in January. 70 degrees means it’s time to go bike riding!

Here’s the route I took (zoom out two clicks for a better look). I got to see a few segments of the Capital Area Greenway I had not seen before, namely the Buckeye Trail as well as the recently completed Middle Crabtree Trail, most of which consists of raised walkways over a sizable expanse of marshland just west of Raleigh Boulevard.

I broke off the trail at Oxford Road, just across from Our Lady of Lourdes. Went uphill to Five Points via White Oak, and stopped at the Third Place to get a vanilla Italian cream soda. Then it was back down Glenwood, through the Brooklyn neighborhood, to Peace Street. Lots of people eating at the Mellow Mushroom, what with its outdoor seating. Headed home via Capitol Park and Mordecai.

Gmaps Pedometer said the route was 11.5 miles, but the odometer on my bicycle disagrees and says that it was actually 12.4 miles. This may be because I had to guess my route on Google Maps since the Middle Crabtree trail wasn’t built when the satellite photographs were taken. Regardless of which method of measurement was more accurate, one thing is certain: my legs are tired.

(For those wondering: Michelle and Isabella are up visiting Michelle’s mother. This is why I can be all carefree and what not. Travelling mercies to them as they fly home from Buffalo to RDU on Tuesday.)